“Overall, respondents in nations with lower gross
domestic product are more likely to say that belief
in God is necessary to be moral and have good values
In other words, there is an inverse relationship
between GDP per capita and the percentage of the
public that draws this connection between belief in God
and morality.”
(Pew Research Centre, results of 2019 survey)
If the poor are more inclined
to assume that there’s a God
is that an unsurprising stat
or is it rather odd?
Does it mean that Marx was right
(Mass – opium for the masses,
promoted by the privileged
to placate the lower classes)
or does lacking worldly goods
liberate the needy
to lead an inner life denied
to the wealthy and the greedy?
Or do those who argue either
equally self-deceive
and God (if there’s indeed a God)
doesn’t care what you believe
or if you’re saint or sinner
or full-of-beans or bored
or consecrate the whole weekend
to worshipping the Lord
or if you render to him
or render unto Caesar,
or pause to puzzle over such a
Biblical brain-teaser
but lonely as hell, in heaven,
was tempted to create
an endless Soap which every night
would keep him up too late?